Mail box



G. RIETVELD March 27, 1928.

MAIL BOX Filed Marsh 22, 1927 Patented Mar. r27, 192.8.

mur. Box.

Application vfiiealsrarcn 22,1%?. serial No. 17?;332;

The object of my invention is toi provide a mail boxv ofsi'mple, durable and inexpensive construction designed to be constructed of sheet metal with suitable dies andj orm ers, and formed substantially of two' mem.- bers, each alike, so that both maybe formed from the same set' of dies. l Morel specifically' it 'is my object't'o' pro'- vide a mail'y box of this lrind"ini which thel spring actuated:"newspaper liolder onI the exterior oi' the mail box may coactwith the mail box' proper for hinging the twdnl'embers tliereoixl7 together, and also' coact with the spring for normally' holding., the' mo'vable box memberA in closed position, andv` at the same time apply a suitable yieldingpre's-v sure to the newspaper holder. v

My inventionfconsists in the' construction, arrangement and; 'combination of the' various parte` of the device, whereby the-objects contemplated are (attained, as hereinafter` more fully set forth, vpointed outV ini` my claims, andillu'strated in the accompanying drawings,- in which:

Figure 1 shows a side yelevation of a mail box embodying my invention in open position.

Figure 2' shows a vertical, central, sectional view of my improved maili'bo'Xin closed position. i Y Figure 3 shows a bottom view oiisame 4 illustrating the arrangement ofthe newspaper holder and box. y

Figure the line 1 4 of Figure 2;' and' v p Figure shows a detailI sectional view onthe line 55 o-,Figure 2.` n

Referring to the 'accompanying drawings, it will be seen that the mail box is composed ot two members', one being the back onsta- Vtionary member' and the other'the front" or movable member.

The back member lis formed ofa straight flat rear body Aportion indicated by the numeral 10i Formed' integralY with?` its side edges are the side members 1'1', Jormedby bending the sheet metaliforwardly/ at' right angles to the bach. At the top these side members 11 are rounded as shown at 12, and the rounded ends are inclined inwardly and upwardly, as shown at 13 in Figurei. The top, indicated by the. reference numeral ,14, is curved upwardly and then inwardly and is of less length than the sides 11, as clearly shown in Figure 2. The

V sides' 16:

dies, spring for closingv the mail.

. parts to thev L Vshows a detail sectional view `on bottom 15 is also n curved/1upwardly Aand inwardly and isv of less' length thanv the sidesl 1'1".` The bottom of the' sides 1T extends downwardly below the bottom member'15 andE isA curved at its lower end|` and'i'ndicated by the numeral 16.

Formed in'` the' back member 10' are two A openings 17v through' which vscrews or nails may be inserted tofperm'anently fix' the back member to'an` upright support. y

The( front' member is substantially an' exact counterpart of tlie baclr` member, so `much so that eachmay'y be'madevrom the same set of dies: and formers. n the" drawings the front of the mail box is indicated -by the symbol 10, thesid'es 11`,the upper ends of the sidesf 1B, tlietopV 14%'- the bottom 15and the extension at the' When these twormembers are formedfrom the sameydies'andAt former's andv forced into lthe position shown in Figure' 2, the sides `11', thejt'op 1% and they bottoml 15 of t-lieback are caused to bendy inwardly -to a slight degree andE the"k corresponding parts of the front member'arel caused bend4 outwardly to av slight degree' so that the twolmary telescope as shownin-l the drawings. The'metal 'of which' the' maili box is-fformed isl quite vthin and the tfwo'- parts' may be thus tele# scope'd' without Abeing 'especially formed-'for that purp'os'e and being ymade on: thel same Y, but' i'ffthiclier orfst'i:`er metal is used, it: maybe desirable Ato first bendL the several 4 desired position sof'they; will telescopereadily and easily and'` lie `in their proper relativeA positions, and even if very thick metal,j is used", Athetwo parts may be constructed on thewsame .dies and' formers and2 after being; amount of bending will suffice to* m'aketh'e'm properly telescope, 4 as' shown in the'` drawings. o

In order to pivotallf connect the twolmailboxmembers; I? provi e; a: newsp'aper'holder indicated ,f jenera-llyJ by thel reference' numeral 18, having its centrali portion formed inthe shape of acurved tongue designed to rest against thei fronti-lower portion of the mail bex, and its ends inclined rearwardly andl extended' horizontally'y at '19, and' then inwardly toward each other at 20 through suitable openings formed in the parts 16 and 16, as shown in Figure 5, so that these inwardly extending members 20 form a hinge connection at front and back members.

l'owe-r ,v endsof thev thus' 1 constructed aV slight susk 11o l the bottom between the tion adjacent to the front a and it is also' desirable that a spring be provided for nor-..

mally closing the front. For this purpose, I

have provided a coil spring 21 mounted in fthe space below the curved bottom member 15, as .shown in Figure 2, and surrounding the ends of the newspaper holder. One end of the spring at 22 isextended rearwardly and engages the bottom ofthe back member of the mail box, and the other end 23 is extended forwardly and engages the newspaper holder, as shown in Figurez 3. By this arrangement it is obvious that the newspaper holder performs the double function ofholding newspapers and forming a pivot or hinge for the mail box members, .and the spring performs the double function of closing the mail box and at the same time yieldingly holding the newspaper holder toward Vthe front-of the mailbox. Furthermore, these two members are so arranged vand combined that they `may be assembled with each other and withthe mailbox with-V out any screws, bolts or other fastening' devices. y Y

By forming the bottom members 15 and 15a in the manner illustrated inlligure 2, it is obviousthatwhen the front is swung for- Vwardly and letters placed in the box, they willrest upon the upper curved member 15, and then when the front is closed, they may tilt to' various angles within the lmail box at their tops, but the lower ends will always rest on the member 15a and not become caught between the members 15 and 15 during the opening and closing movements. y

rillie structure of the top of the mail boxy is advantageous injthat by bending the upcurving the Atops 14 andlliain the manner shown in Figure 2, these parts will telescope readily when closed, and at the sameftime form a rain proof cover.. In Figure 4 it will be seen that rain driven against the mail box from lthe side'will be deflected by the top member 14e and the inclined outer mem.- ber 13a. Y

From the foregoing it will be .seen that I -liave provided a mailbox of extremely simple and inexpensive construction, in which the two lessential membersV may be formed from the same set of dies, and in which the newspaper holder `and spring may be as sembled without screws or bolts or other fastening devices, and at the same time ,a

Lacasse mail box that is rain proof isprovided,.

and the hinged front is yieldingly held in closed position, and at the same time the proper yielding pressure is applied to the` combination of a sheet metal back member havingits sides extendedV forwardly and having its top curved upwardly and forwardly and its bottom curved upwardly and forwardly, a front member formed substantially identical. with the said back member and having its sides, top and bottom t'elescopically connected with the corresponding parts ot' the back member, and means for hinging to getlier the downwardly extended ends of the side iiiembers. Y l y y v A2. Iii Va mail box, the combination of a front and a back member forming a box, a

, newspaper holder device formed of wire havingal body portion 'designed to Ystand in other eiid being extended forwardly to en^ gage the newspaper holder` in front, and

whereby the spring will yieldingly holdthe upper end of the newspaper holder against the front of the mail box and at the Vsume time exert its pressure tending to close the Y lfront member of the mail box. per ends of the side members. inwardly and p upwardly, as shown in Figure ll, andby 3. Ina device of the class described, the combination of a sheet metal. back member having its sides extended forwardly, and having its top curved upwardly and forwardly and its bottom curved upwardly and forwardly, and also having the upper end of its sides extended upwardly and inwardly and the bottom member of its sides extended downwardly, .a front member formed substantially identical with theysaid back inember aiidhaving its sides, vtop fand bottom telescopically connected with the correspond-V ing parts ot the back member, and means for hinging together the downwardly extended ends of the side members.

' Des Moines, Iowa, VMarch 15, 1927.

GIDEON RIETVELD.

ioo 

